Naughty or Nice
by binkeybella
Summary: Tag to 'You Better Watch Out'. Some spoilers for the ep, so you better watch out! Rated for some swearing.
1. Chapter 1

As visits from Anthony DiNozzo, Senior went, Gibbs had to admit that this last one was pretty low-key, at least in the sense that the man had not been caught meddling in an investigation or found dead drunk by the LEO's with a corpse in his rental car's trunk.

In fact, to most who witnessed the 'reconciliation' between the DiNozzo father and son Christmas Eve, it would have seemed to end on a pretty high note for the two, with the schmaltz factor oozing up to the top of the scale.

Gibbs had watched the scene with skepticism, not knowing exactly what had happened between them, and deciding to withhold judgment until he had more intel on the situation. When they had broken up the party to head home for the night, Gibbs had kept an eye on his second, and seeing that caged animal look in the younger man's eyes, had pulled him off to the side of the room and informed him he had a last minute Christmas present he needed Tony's help with. His SFA seemed to sag with relief to have an excuse not to have to go back to his apartment with his father, and told the man he'd be back later but not to wait up for him. Senior had looked disappointed, but not broken up. Of all people, he knew there were plenty of ways to entertain yourself in D.C on Christmas Eve.

Back in Gibbs' basement, he had poured Tony a couple fingers of his 'good stuff', and Tony had readily accepted, his hand actually trembling a little as he took the glass from his boss. He didn't even bother denying it, or even making light of it, just chugged down the amber liquid and handed the jam jar back to Gibbs.

"Refill?" Gibbs queried.

"Nah, that's – actually, ya know what, that sounds good. Hit me again."

Gibbs wanted to indeed hit someone, but it wasn't his second or his bourbon holder.

"Won't be able to drive now, Tony." Gibbs warned as DiNozzo downed the smooth liquor.

"Yeah. Guess not." the younger man growled through the second helping, his throat husky with the burn of it. "Have ta call the old man an' – tell 'im he's gotta entertain himself."

"What happened tonight, DiNozzo? And give me the _actual _version, not the one you think I wanna hear."

"Ahh, well, I came home, ready to spend some quality time with the guy and I walked in on him and my neighbor."

"Jesus." Gibbs grated out between his teeth, his head turning away with the sheer disbelief of Tony's statement.

"You said you wanted the actual version of it, Boss."

"What'd ya _do _about it?"

"I screamed at 'im. Told 'im that was why I'd never let him know where I lived, that it was my sanctuary, and he'd just basically made it so I never wanna walk into my bedroom ever again."

"What'd he say?" Gibbs asked, pouring himself another helping of booze.

"Told me he 'was who he was, and he wasn't going to change."

Gibbs swallowed his second helping in one gulp, his jaw clenching shut for a few moments after.

"What'd ya say to that?"

"Told him get out. Shoulda seen the shocked look on his face."

"You don't actually feel _guilty _for telling him that, do ya, Tony?"

"No, Boss. Thought I would, but – had some time to think about it on the way back to the Yard."

"And what'd ya come up with, other than figuring you'd have to sleep here tonight instead of in your train wreck of a bed."

"I decided it sucked. What he said, sucked." Tony sighed, realizing the bourbon was getting to him big-time already, and that he would need to sit down, and soon, so he leaned back against the workbench.

"Ya know, that's such a freakin' cop out when people say that – I am what I am, I'm not gonna change.

I coulda said that when you met me, brought me back here. Coulda stayed just good enough for ya to keep me on yer team, but never improved myself, or learned anything from ya. Coulda kept you out, just made up my mind that you were my boss and not my friend or – coulda kept _everybody _here out, an' just done my mediocre best and left it at that. But I didn't. You _know _I didn't, no matter what anybody else thinks of my job performance."

"You were like a bat outta hell when you came here, thought Blackadder was gonna smother ya in yer sleep one night. Almost didn't _have _to in the end..."

"Always thought there was more to it than bad aim..." Tony smirked, but his mind didn't want to linger on that wretched case. "Anyways, I don't buy the 'can't change' schtick. Anybody can change if they want to, they've just got to have a good enough

reason to. Apparently I'm not a good enough reason for my father."

"DiNozzo.." Gibbs growled warningly.

"I'm just sayin' that – it doesn't matter who is in his life, Boss. He never changed for any of my step-moms, though some of them deserved worse from him. Not only that, he won't even _adjust_ his _thinking_ for me. _I'm _the one who's always had to adjust my thinking for _him, _that I was doing something wrong, and needed to stop or I wasn't a grateful son and needed to quit wanting too much...I can't _do _it anymore, Boss. I _won't. _My father is a one-way street, and I'm getting too old to keep trying to make him into even a two-way, much less a multi-lane highway.

"He's right, he never _is _going to change, cause he's too lazy and selfish to go to the bother. He wants to come visit me, that's fine, but he's not staying with me again, he stays at a hotel, and I'll meet him for dinner, or drinks, or whatever. But I won't have him back at my apartment. And I refuse to feel guilty any more for telling him like it is. He won't change, but I will, even if it's just to defend myself against him. If Abby and the rest of the team think I'm being unreasonable about it, they can invite him to stay with them while he's here. Might even cure them of their infatuation with him."

"Doubt that. He'll be on his best behavior for them, just like he is when he's at the Navy Yard."

Tony handed his emptied jam jar to his boss, who gave him a raised eyebrow in return.

"Don't wann any more, Boss, had plen'y." he slurred. "Need ta sit now. Watcha work. On whatever yer workin' on. That you wanted my help with. 'Cept I don't think you should have me helpin' ya now."

Gibbs gave his SFA a crooked smile and half-led, half pushed him over to a ratty arm chair he had dug out from the attic on his last foray there.

"Thanks, Boss. 'Preciate that. "

Gibbs patted Tony's arm, and looked down at him with concern.

"There's more ya need to say, isn't there, Tony?"

DiNozzo swallowed hard and looked at his fidgety hands.

"He talked about her."

"Her?" There was a pause while Gibbs thought, then it came to him. Her. Tony's mother. Great. No wonder the second helping of booze. "Oh. Her. What'd he say about her?" he asked half-heartedly, not really wanting to touch 'her' with a ten foot barge pole tonight.

"Said she was the love of his life, that it started going bad for him after she...you know...left."

'Left. That's how Tony described his mother dying, because he couldn't say the actual word 'died'.

Well, who was Gibbs to judge, he couldn't say it very easily about Shannon and Kelly, either. It had taken him years to even be able to look at their pictures, or say their names with out faltering over them.

"Which, I understand, but..not only does he use it for an excuse, he makes it all about him. That she was the love of _his _life, that _he _was the only one who...didn' wanna go on after she was gone, that couldn't understand how she could just – leave her eight year old son alone with him when she _knew _he hadn't been that interested in being a father to me _before _things got out of control...tha's what I hate most about his excuses. He thinks they're jus' fer _him _and that she wazzin' the love of _my _life, too..loved 'er a lot, Boss...sometimes she did things I didden understand, but...when she was – not – not in another ...when she wasn't – gone...she was the most loving mother you could ask for. Any sense of normalcy or safety I ever felt left with her. After that it was – like almos' drowning every day, barely keepin' my head above the surface...an' he went off an' jus' kept marryin' whatever rich bimbo crossed his path.

'Course he had an excuse fer that, too. I think 'm gonna go up ta bed, you mind, Boss?"

"Nope, thought I'd do the same thing, Tony. Besides, Santa won't come till yer asleep, remember?"

"Ha, yeah! Tha's right! Santa Clause is comin' ! Fergot! You leave me somethin' under the tree, Boss?"

"Won't know till ya get up in the morning, Tony." he admonished, guiding his SFA up the stairs to the kitchen. "You want anything to eat before ya head for bed?"

"Nahhh. Jus' pancakes and eggs in the mornin' like ya make when I drink a little too much."

"Okay, Tony. I can do that." he agreed amiably, pushing the younger man onto the stairs to the bedrooms. His second wasn't totally blitzed, he'd drank less than Gibbs, and was normally pretty good at holding his liquor, but Tony had virtually chuga-lugged the glasses his boss had poured for him, and done it on a stomach with nothing in it but some cider and popcorn. "Let's just git yer jammies on ya before ya fall into bed, we'll finish talkin' in the morning."

"Nah, finished now, Boss. Done talkin' 'bout 'im. He calls, tell 'im I got a better deal. Tell 'im a stinkin' signet ring doesn't make up fer 34 years of _crap _he dished out. I only wanted it cause it was my Grampa Silvio's. Liked my Grandpa Silvio. No bullshit with that man, jus' like you. He owned his own shit an' didn't need excuses."

"Must've skipped a generation then, Anthony. You could teach yer old man a thing or two about life. God knows you've taught me a few." Gibbs finished under his breath as he struggled to button Tony's pajama front before he collapsed sideways onto the bed. "Go ta sleep, I'll worry about yer father."

"Than's, Boss." He took a long, deep breath of his pillow and sighed. "Hung these out on the line, didden ya, Boss? Smell good. Like woodsmoke an'..."

Suddenly there was silence. Tony had finally wound down, run out of gas, needed his batteries recharged. He was always like that when he was at Gibbs' place. One minute he'd be babbling on, the next he would be snoring, like his plug had been suddenly yanked. Relaxation before sleep was still a foreign thing to DiNozzo. He was either working, talking or sleeping, sometimes two of them at a time. Gibbs had a feeling tonight would be one of the times when Tony would be talking in his sleep.

He pulled a blanket up over the sleeping man, and flicked off the lamp, leaving just the dim hallway light for illumination. It was all he needed, he knew how to get around the entire house in the black of night, and could get to his SFA in moments if he needed him. Nights like these Gibbs slept with one ear on the pillow and one on Tony's room. And nights like these, he wanted to go grab that worthless s.o.b. Senior and toss him into beltway traffic, but he knew Tony wouldn't thank him for it, even if he did appreciate the thought behind it. It was getting more and more difficult not to meddle in the fledgling relationship, but the way things were going, he wouldn't have to anyways, Senior would put paid to it himself by continuing to be such a purposely clueless jerk. Sometimes Gibbs felt like a world -class hypocrite, bashing Senior so readily for his incredible treatment of Tony, and then being a bastard to Tony himself. And sometimes he was right to feel that way, but Gibbs knew deep down that, unlike Senior, most of the time he _had _and still _did _make concerted efforts to be what his SFA needed, in a way that the damaged younger man could both accept and absorb without feeling patronized or smothered.

Tonight was one of those times. He would have Tony's six, even if it was to lie to the man's father about when he was coming back to his apartment, which would be as soon as Senior was no longer there.

Leave it to the idiot man to botch even something as special as Tony letting him into his inner sanctum, and by doing something so unforgivable as to make the normally unflappable DiNozzo finally lose his cool with the smug bastard. He felt badly things had turned out the way they had, but he was awfully proud of Tony for not taking his father's crap this time around. He'd have to make sure he told the kid in the morning, after Santa came.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: yes, I know, I'm supposed to be finishing my next chapters for Unconditional and Refuge. Both of them are started, just had to get this little bunny caged and fed. It seems to be an episode that spawned several bunnies, in fact. Not even sure if this is the last of them. I think, though, that I have sufficiently run Senior into the ground by now. Also, this is totally separate from my 'Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree' stories, which were AU.**

Both Gibbs and Tony told themselves that Abby only had Tony's best interests at heart when she retrieved Tony's father from the airport and brought him back to MTAC to share their now traditional Christmas Eve showing of 'It's A Wonderful Life'. It's what they wanted to believe, because they loved her, and knew that she had a good heart, but neither believed it was the entire truth. And that fact niggled away in the back of Gibbs' brain even more than Tony's, until not too many days after Christmas, and DiNozzo Senior had jetted off to sun and sand, the lead agent decided it was something he needed to talk to her about. Knowing that it was really not his business to meddle, he did it anyways, realizing that perhaps he was being as meddlesome as she when it came to Tony's personal life. In the interest of future family civility, boundaries were, well, bound to get crossed.

There just wasn't any easy way to approach her about it, and he finally decided to just wait until after work one day and lay it on her. He brought an enormous Caf-Pow and even one of those fancy cupcakes she adored, and caught her just before she was ready to gather up her things and head out.

"Gibbs! What! Don't tell me we have a new case! I have to bowl tonight!"

"Nope, just need to talk to ya about something. Won't take long."

She eyed him suspiciously, the look on his face betraying something she couldn't quite put her finger on, but put her purse down the lab table and took a seat.

"Ya know I don't – ya know I'm not good at personal stuff, especially somebody _else's _personal stuff, but – I need to talk to ya about it anyways."

"Gibbs, what _is _it, is somebody sick, does Ziva need to go home -"

Gibbs held up his hand to fend off any more questions.

"Nuthin' like that, Abs. It's about Tony and Senior."

"Wasn't that just the best, the way it ended, Gibbs? Them finally spending Christmas Eve together after all these years, I mean, it almost didn't happen, if I hadn't -"

"It almost didn't happen for a very good reason, Abs! That's what I wanted to talk to you about! You really should have asked Tony first before going off half-cocked and dragging him back to MTAC."

"But they seemed _happy! Tony _seemed happy! They were hugging each other! And smiling! Well, Senior was smiling, I _saw _him!"

"Did you even stop and think that Tony might not have _wanted _his father to come back that night? That there was a _reason _he sent his father packing?"

"_Tony _sent his father away? Senior said he got an e-mail from a business partner and -"

"Damn it, Abby, how many times are you gonna believe him over Tony? You _know _the man can barely tell the truth to save his life!"

"Well then Tony was being a brat about it all, there's nothing his father could have said to make it kosher for him to kick him out on Christmas Eve!"

"It wasn't what the man said, Abby, it was what he _did, _and it makes what _my _father did that got me angry at him look like just an honest mistake!"

Abby blanched, thinking of all the things DiNozzo, Senior could have done to his son to make him snap.

"Did he insult you? Cause you know he won't let _anyone _insult you! Not even Fornell! Oh my God, did he _hit _Tony? Please tell me he didn't hit him.."

"He didn't hit him, Abs, or insult me, that I know of, anyways. He brought one of Tony's female neighbors over to Tony's apartment, and it wasn't for helping him bake snickerdoodles."

Abby nearly slid off the chair, realizing what Gibbs was telling her.

"He – he – had – he -" she stuttered, her eyes blinking in disbelief. "He had – he did the _big nasty _in Tony's place?"

"In his bedroom." Gibbs added quietly.

"That son of a bitch! " she yelled, jumping up off the lab stool "I will go find him and _end _him, who does he think he is, doing something like that to Tony and then lying about it? He made me think all this time it was something that _Tony _did!"

"_He _made you think that, Abs, or did you just _assume _that cause you all think Tony exaggerates about what a jerk his father is? And you swear like that again in front of me, I'll stop what I'm doing and go tell the Reverend Mother."

"Sorry, Gibbs, you know I don't usually, but there was no other word _for _him for that! Are you _sure _it really happened, Gibbs?"

"Abby, this is exactly why I'm talking to you about this. You are all so enamored with that flim flammer that you believe him over Tony, and keep trying to make Tony the _bad_ guy in this! I can tell ya beyond a shadow of a doubt it's true, cause Tony was not exactly sober when he told me."

Abby sank back onto the stool, all doubt and misgivings whooshing out of her in a big sigh.

"Tony can't lie when he's been drinking." she stated dejectedly. "Booze is like truth serum for him, it's why he hardly ever drinks more than a couple beers."

"He chug-a-lugged a few fingers of my best bourbon after we got out of MTAC Christmas Eve, it took him all of ten minutes to fess up to what happened with his father. Abby, sometimes you just can't fix things with people, and in this case, I'm not sure you or anyone else should _try_."

"I wanted a happy _ending _for them, Gibbs!" Abby whined, unrepentant of her actions yet.

"Did you, or did you want to not believe that Tony really had legitimate issues with his father's behavior and was playing the sympathy card? Cause after finding out what Senior did at Tony's place, that's all Tony's got from me concerning his father. And bad as it was, I'm pretty damned sure that wasn't the worst thing the bastard's ever done to him."

"I need to apologize to Tony. He probably hates me now."

"Abs, you know Tony could never hate you, and honestly, he hasn't said a thing about it to me and he probably never will short of me getting him soused again. But I know it hurt him, and because he'll never say anything to you about it, I figured I had to. I just want you to know what really happened so the next time Senior blows into town, and you _know _he will, you don't make something worse than it already is with them. I had my way, I'd keep 'im as far away as possible from Tony. Not my call. And it's not yer call to try to force them together again. Senior's had more than enough chances to get his head out of his ass and be a real father to his son. Much as Tony's wanted that, he's tired of giving them to him and getting nothing back for it but excuses. The ball is totally in Senior's court now, and truthfully, I think the odds of him making the right move are pretty damned slim. Leave it alone.

Let things take care of themselves, one way or the other."

"It's just so sad, Gibbs! How can a father with such a great son keep _being _that way, he's just missing out on so much!"

"Asked myself that a thousand times, Abs, got no answer for it. Sometimes I don't do the greatest job myself with Tony, but at least he knows where he stands with me, and that half the battle. With Senior, he always has to wonder which way the wind's blowin' with the man and what his current agenda happens to be. My agenda never changes. I expect the best from him, and he knows I'm there for him if he needs me. None of this on-again, off-again crap his father pulls."

"He just seems so sincere!" Abby offered, rubbing her fingers together in agitation. "When will I learn that hes' just an old con man, just like Tony says he is? He's like a Cajun snake charmer, and I keep getting sucked into his act!"

"Yeah, well, Tony had to get that voodoo from _somewhere, _Abs, he sure didn't learn it at the Police Academy! Go on, get to your bowling, Sister Rosita will be calling me wondering where you are."

"Okay, Gibbs, and – thanks for telling me this, even though I feel bad about it now. Like, for the rest of my life."

"I didn't tell ya for you to feel guilty over it forever. I told ya so that you wouldn't break Rule Eight again, at least where Tony's concerned."

"Never assume. I know, Gibbs. I shouldn't have, I let myself get fooled and I shouldn't have."

"Yer heart was in the right place, mostly!" he encouraged as he planted a light kiss on her cheek.

"Go on, go bowling. It'll be okay. You'll know next time. If there _is _a next time."

"Hmm, well, if there's not, he's got you, Gibbs, and you know he way more attached to you than Senior. Maybe he needs to stop expecting the impossible with him. Maybe we _all _do."

"I think Tony's kind of figured that out now. He's not gonna cut the guy out of his life, but he's not gonna let 'im yank 'im around anymore, either, at least I hope not. Come on, I'll walk ya to your car, I'm goin' home too."

She leaned into his shoulder as they walked, swinging her purse along side her.

"Why does family always have to be so complicated, Gibbs?"

"Don't know, Abs, never knew one that wasn't. But nothing with Tony has ever been simple, has it?"

"No, but he deserves the extra work it takes to figure it all out. He's always been there for all of us, no matter what, even when we haven't treated him like family. We need to make up for what he missed all those years, cause his father's sure not gonna make things right."

"I'm workin' on it, Abs. I get side-tracked sometimes, just like you do."

"Then we'll have to keep each other on the path. If we can't help ourselves, we'll get Ducky to keep us on it."

"Oh, that won't be a problem. The man detests Senior. That's why he never asks about Ducky."

"Well, then, Ducky seems to have better taste than some of us. And sense."

"That he probably does, Abs." he stated as he kissed her head and helped her into her car. "See you in the morning."

"Night, Gibbs. Thanks again for telling me this. I won't tell Tony you told me unless he asks."

"Prob'ly be a good idea, Abs. G'night."

He shut her car door and waited for her to safely leave the parking garage before getting into his own car. It had gone better with her than he had thought it would, and was glad that he had made up his mind to confront her about it. His own opinion of Senior had not been great before his Christmas arrival, and now it hovered just slightly above pond scum. Abby needed to know that her actions were not only misguided, but unwanted, and had he known what had transpired between his SFA and Senior, he would have gone after her himself and stopped her from bringing the man back to the Navy Yard.

What kind of father did that sort of thing to his own son, it was one of the most incredibly boorish things he had ever heard of. Senior was lucky he hadn't been with Tony at the time, he would have dragged the man out of there and onto the street,and clothed or not, into the snowbank. He was pretty sure he wouldn't have been able to stop himself.

He checked his watch and saw that it was still early enough to grab some take-out and swing by Tony's place to help him set up the new bed Gibbs had brought him. Hopefully then his second could start sleeping there again instead of his couch, as he had tossed his old bed to the curb the way Gibbs had wanted to dispose of Senior. It was a gorgeous twin size made of birdseye maple, that he had lovingly handcrafted himself years ago, and it was time for someone he loved to sleep in it again. He was pretty sure Kelly wouldn't mind.


End file.
